Performance
We're starting to see a degree of separation between tested chassis, and as the most keenly priced enclosure on show, it's perhaps no surprise to find Corsair's Carbide Series 100R Silent Edition slotting in at the bottom of the charts.
67.3ºC under maximum load on an overclocked Core i5-3570K isn't a terrible return, mind you, and you could argue that the chassis isn't geared for overclocking. There's clearly going to be enough airflow for a stock-clocked CPU.
How much airflow is classed as enough? Corsair's budget chassis is able to keep our dual GTX 970s running reasonably cool, but in order to meet the desired 80ºC peak operating temperature, the GPUs automatically reduce core frequency from 1,380MHz to 1,304MHz. This is the first chassis in which our new test platform has throttled back in order to keep temperatures in check.
And keeping cool is directly linked to system noise. GPU fan speed rarely exceeded 35 per cent in some of the other cases on show, but EVGA's GTX 970s are having to work harder in Corsair's Carbide Series 100R SE, with fan speed rising to 50 per cent (2,300rpm) and under-load noise levels increasing in tandem. You can barely hear the build when idle, but on the flip side you can't fail to notice it when gaming.